NYT says “It’s Torture!”
Waterboard displayed at
The NYT today published an obituary for a deceased American fighter pilot who was captured by the Chinese:
Harold E. Fischer Jr., an American Flier Tortured in a Chinese Prison, Dies at 83…
From April 1953 through May 1955, Colonel Fischer — then an Air Force captain — was held at a prison outside Mukden, Manchuria. For most of that time, he was kept in a dark, damp cell with no bed and no opening except a slot in the door through which a bowl of food could be pushed. Much of the time he was handcuffed. Hour after hour, a high-frequency whistle pierced the air. [...] Under duress, Captain Fischer had falsely confessed to participating in germ warfare.
So - when the Chinese do it it’s torture. When the US do it it’s “harsh interrogation”.
We expect more consistency of our major news organizations. We expect more of our own government.
It’s time to call for a special prosecutor, Mr. Attorney General.
[via Glenn Greenwald, and Andrew Sullivan]
The word “torture” spills out of conservatives’ mouths whenever they aren’t guarding every word they utter. Why? Because the techniques being discussed ARE torture. Here’ an example of a neocon not watching what he’s saying. http://dangerousintersection.org/2009/04/22/torture-as-a-tool-for-manufacturing-evidence/
Indeed - and that clip will likely become a classic for another reason - it may be seen as the reason for Shep Smith departing Fox (I’ve always been confused - he always seems to be actually ‘fair and balanced’ - so he’s obviously wrong for the channel! It would be like MSNBC offering Ann Coulter a prime time slot to replace Olbermann or Maddow!)
Digby has a post on this topic - with some additional background and commentary. You must read it.